Associate Of Suspect Who Jumped To His Death In Cemetery Arrested

SAN LORENZO (CBS SF) – An associate of a suspect who died after jumping off Interstate Highway 238 in San Lorenzo while trying to escape from Alameda County sheriff's deputies early today has been arrested, according to a sheriff's spokesman.

The suspect who died was identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau as 40-year-old Paul Giacomoni of Redwood City.

Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said the incident began around 12:30 a.m. Thursday when a deputy spotted Giacomoni driving a stolen Toyota pickup truck on Hesperian Boulevard.

The deputy tried to pull over the truck as it was entering southbound Highway 238 and the truck yielded and pulled over to the side of the road, but then the driver, later identified as Giacomoni, got out and climbed onto the barrier wall of the highway, Kelly said.

As deputies approached, Giacomoni tried to escape by jumping off the highway, but apparently didn't realize there was a drop of about 40 feet to the ground below, according to Kelly.

Giacomoni suffered serious injuries in the fall, landing near the San Lorenzo Pioneer Cemetery. Deputies tried to perform lifesaving measures on him but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Kelly said.

Giacomoni was wearing a ski mask and gloves when he was found. His passenger, Gene Shrewbery, was found in possession of stolen property and drug paraphernalia, according to Kelly.

Shrewbery is being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property charge and a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charge, Kelly said.

However, Shrewbery won't face any charges for Giacomoni's death, he said.

Giacomoni had "a very extensive criminal history for weapons, violence and a multitude of other crimes," Kelly said.

Sheriff's investigators are checking to see if Giacomoni and Shrewbery might have committed any crimes in the area prior to the contact with deputies.

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